There are many reasons why members of the Cariboo Potter’s Guild join the group. Some want to try something new while others are looking for a community to share their art with. Whatever the reason, most of the members will agree that potting with the guild is a rewarding experience.
The guild has been growing since its 1967 beginnings, with current memberships sitting at about 60. After completing an orientation, new members have 24-hour access to the guild’s studio, at one time located in a small cabin and today nestled in the Central Cariboo Arts & Culture Society building. Members can choose to pot on their own time, or they can attend the occasional workshop run by senior members or guest artists.
“It’s a collaborative of like-minded people, creatives, that they just need a place to go,” says Sheena Delany, who joined the group just before the pandemic and is now co-chair of the guild.
Delany says she appreciates the practical component of the art, the fact she can make something that can be used. More than that, she says she likes how she can de-stress while making her own personalized pieces of pottery. When she pots, Delany says she “forget(s) the rest of the world.”
There's something about coming together as a community that inspires Delany, who says she’ll often find herself feeding off others’ excitement. Terry Hathaway, co-secretary of the guild and a lifelong artist, also benefits from the guild’s community-oriented approach. A retired teacher, she felt lost without her work peers and says the guild is “exactly what I was missing...you’re always collaborating and sharing ideas.” She's even had the opportunity to share the art internationally on annual trips to Indonesia where she learns from artists who make pottery for a living.
Like many other members, Hathaway has always admired pottery but never had the chance to try it until recently. It was her young granddaughters, and her mother, who convinced her to join the guild where she’s had the pleasure of learning different potting styles from senior potters. Most recently, Hathaway tried Raku, a technique originating in Japan that results in unique designs as the piece catches fire in a low oxygen space while still hot from the kiln.
Natalie Swift, who began potting in 2022, says most members fall into one of two techniques, wheel throwing or hand building, with the rare few who like to alternate from one to the other. Potters are also unique in what they choose to focus on. While some like to perfect the decorative aspects of their work, others are attuned to the piece’s form. Swift likes to add a touch of nature in her work, a harmony between her love for the natural world and for art. While she wouldn’t say potting was a life-long desire for her, Swift has always considered herself an artist. “It’s been really nice to connect with that side of myself...with an identity I had as a kid...it feels very true to me,” she said.
Today there are many ways a potter can customize their work, and the options have only grown with access to the internet. Christy Richardson, the guild’s new director, says you can now search recipes to make a glaze for your piece, or simply buy some, but she likes to create glazes the traditional way. “Mixing and testing...it’s sort of addictive, something grabs you,” she said.
This summer the Guild held an exhibition at the Station House Gallery to celebrate Anna Roberts who helped initiate the Potter’s Guild. “We’re all thankful to Anna Roberts...she’s inspired many members with her sensitivity to the material” says Richardson.
